Vintages

1990

A dry and warm winter was followed by a dry spring. June was unusually cold and wet. In some areas, like in high hills, the weather compromised the fecundation of many bunches.

It followed a hot and dry July, with light rains only from the second half of the month.

August started with a providential rain: abundant and slow absorbed very easily from the land.

The end of August and the beginning of September were very hot with temperature above 30°C, consequently the maturation of the grapes was blocked and the acidity dropped.

The rest of September was hot and dry bringing the grapes to ripening with a lower than normal acidity content.

This vintage manifested itself full of problems: poor acidity, more intense color, high Ph with a considerable alcohol development. On the other hand the yeasts concluded very well their fermentations.

The wines obtained have a very intense and enveloping structure. At the beginning they present light and gentle aromas but in April their aromatic development is remarkable, giving balance and harmony to the wines of this vintage.

1991

Winter 1990-91 has been constantly rigid with medium temperatures around 0° degrees: positive for decreasing considerably the spores and pathogenic elements used to hibernate in the superficial part of the soil or along the bark of the vine trunk.

Spring had a few frosts that luckily did not comprome the fruiting buds of the Garganega, this grape in fact has a late vegetative start compared to the other varieties. Among those is Trebbiano di Soave that suffered a loss of the 40%.

However, April temperatures delayed the vegetative start of about 15 days.

The flowering period (10-20 June) was good even if not completely dry (for the Garganega the most delicate vegetative phase is the flowering that lasts 8-10 days and needs a mild and dry climate). The berry fertilization brought the bunch to the right sparse conformation.

The ripening was regular and the sugars concentration started after the middle of July, recovering partially the initial delay.

August was characterized by very high temperature (28-32°C) and some hills area suffered the lack of water. Vines with a production of about 2-3 kg of grapes handled this dryness very well, completing the berry maturation around mid-September.

In that period we started to pick up the Riesling and Trebbiano di Soave grapes. The production of these two varieties was poor, 25% less than vintage 1990; on the other hand the sugar content was the same, better the acidity and with higher quality prospects.

Between 20 and 30 September the best grapes of the vineyards Le Colombare and Calvarino were selected; they were carefully laid on wooden racks until February with the expectation of pressing them in February to obtain the wine Recioto di Soave.

In October the harvest of the Garganega grapes for the Soave Classico begun: firstly we started with the Calvarino vineyard followed by the other vineyards, then between 22 and 24 October we continued with La Rocca vineyard. During the harvest (8-15 October) there were many rainfalls, but luckily they didn’t affect the health condition of our grapes.

The yeast obtained showed a low content of polyphenols, normal acidity and sugars a little bit lower than 1990 (important vintage for the sugar content obtained).

Climate conditions were particularly cold, grapes had therefore a temperature around 15° degrees and for this reason fermentations lasted for a period longer than usual.

We judge vintage 1991 a good one but not excellent.

1992

Winter 1991-1992 was quite mild and dry (poor rainfalls) with temperatures above the seasonal average (5° C). Spring was also dry, with an exceptional May, almost summery (30°C).

These weather conditions favored the early budding and fruiting, the flower fecundation of the grapes was total and bunches dimension was higher than average size.

The rain arrived in June and fell abundantly until the first week of July, contributing to the absorption of nutrients. From mid-July to mid-August the heat reached very high peaks (35°C).

Excessive heat lasted all summer and temperatures remained high even at night. This aspect compromised the grapes ripening balance, which at the end of August had a lower than average sugar content. On the night of August 30th, a thunderstorm broke out with plenty of rain lowering of temperature for a week. Grapes begun to take color and the sugars level increased. In mid-September the temperature rose and the maturation process stopped. The harvest begun on September 20th with the selection of the grapes for Recioto, but around September 30th it was suspended due to the rains. From this moment on there were no longer beautiful, dry days and rains fell regularly almost every day making the harvest very difficult. Grape rot phenomena also occurred because of the low acidity content. It was necessary to select the grapes of all the vineyards leaving on the plant the grapes not perfectly healthy (15%).

The fermentation took place excellently and the results in the development of the perfumes confirmed this. The musts obtained had a polyphenol content higher than the previous year, acidity and sugars slightly below average. The wine presented quality levels similar to the previous two vintages.

In the first days of March the dried grapes of Recioto were crushed: they were perfectly healthy, dry, with a must yield of 30% and a surprising gradation, undoubtedly thanks to a very breezy and dry winter.

1993

Winter 1992/93 was very mild with average temperatures around 6°C, dry and with only rain in mid-April. During the spring these climatic conditions determined a good vegetative development of the vine, with no diseases. Above normal is the presence of the moth, even in the hills.

The months of June and July pass without the desired rains, some thunderstorms in the neighboring areas fortunately mild the temperature even in Soave.

In the second half of July, irrigation is used in vineyards, especially those that suffer the most, both because of their young age and also for their too poor soils.

The month of August is hot with temperatures above 33°C and at night not less than 25°-26°C, this factor is the most negative aspect of the whole season, because it affects the acid content of the grapes, as for last year. On August 25th there is a strong disturbance with heavy rainfalls precipitation and drops of temperature. For ten days nights are fresher and grapes begin to take color and increase the sugar content.

The harvest begins early on September 2nd with the selection of grapes for Recioto in the Le Colombare vineyards: the grapes are perfectly healthy, ripe, golden and with a sugar content around 17° babo (190 gr/lt of sugar). The good weather lasts throughout the month of September allowing the harvest to be completed in record time.

On 30th September, the end date of our harvest, weather changes and a period of great rains begins. This lead the farmers of the area to despair, prevented from finishing the harvest and who see the harvest damaged. The fermentations of the musts are slower than usual due to a lack of nitrogenous substances and some wines, which have traces of sugars at the end of fermentation, are softer.

Around the 15th December the grapes of Passito della Rocca are crushed: Sauvignon, Riesling and Trebbiano di Soave. They are perfectly healthy, with a good presence of noble mold, especially in sauvignon grapes.

The sugar content is 30° babo (370 gr/lt sugar).

The garganega grapes, still drying on the racks to produce the Recioto di Soave, have an excellent health status. They will be pressed at the end of February.

Vintage 1993 is to be considered a good vintage, equivalent to 1991.

1994

The winter 1993–1994 had poor rainfalls, it was predominantly harsh and dry, only in In April we had the first rains.

The vegetative development of the vine is regular, without cryptogams infections.

Spring takes place with very little precipitation, about 50 mm., and it anticipates a hot summer.

The conditions promote a good flowering followed by the ripening period that suggests an abundant production.

In July, the bunches are thinned out in order to reduce the production to the usual quantities.

At the end of August finally rains arrives, unfortunately with heavy thunderstorms and a few episodes of hail that luckily only partially affects our vineyards.

Storms with rains of 200-300 mm and strong wind follow damaging the grapes even though temperatures does not drop much, they remain high around 25/30°.

The harvest is influenced by this unstable period.

Until mid-September the grapes for Recioto are selected, with some difficulties. Then we proceed with the Soave grapes, often with bad weather conditions.

Only in the last week of October the weather becomes stable and with low temperatures (10/12°), but we are forced to leave a percentage of insane grapes in the vineyards.

The vintage was difficult, abundant, and too marked by adverse weather conditions.

1995

Winter 1994–1995 was mild with poor rains until spring.

Few days at sub-zero temperatures, situation not favorable to the elimination of parasites present in the soil.

Abundant spring rains negatively affect the health aspect of the vine with the need for immediate interventions to avoid diseases.

Difficult conditions continue until flowering; the fertilization of flowers appears poor and the bunches setting have floral abortions creating differences in production on each plant.

The thinning operation is carried out only for plants in need.

Summer is warm until mid-August, when beneficial rains lower the temperature, without creating damage, giving the plants breathing space.

The following weeks are not very sunny and the humidity is high.

The harvest begins in mid-September with good climatic conditions, which allow an easy selection of the grapes for the Recioto and a regular execution of the harvest, with a gradual improvement in the quality of the grapes.

Overall, the vintage has been balanced in production and with a good quality level.

1996

Vintage 1996 begins with a cool spring, regular rains that favor a lush vegetative development.

The temperature remains below average until flowering; later on it increases and the climate becomes much drier allowing a good setting.

Summer is hot, like average, without temperature excesses.

Grapes are very healthy and after the veraison the bunches are quite compact with turgid berries. The temperature in early autumn is cool and this helps to delay maturation by eight ten days.

Trebbiano di Soave is harvested after mid-September, while the Garganega around 7-9 October and ends on the 31st October (La Rocca vineyard on November 6th). The grapes are ripe and well colored with apricot pigmentation.

The must has a golden yellow color, more intense than normal, with sugars around 180-190 grams/liter, the ph is about 3.35 with good acidity sometimes greater than 7° .

These rather unusual parameters are due to the not very hot season and characterized by a high humidity of the soil.

The climatic regularity of the year can also be found in the expression of the extract of the wine obtained, generally two points above the farm average.

The fermentation of the musts continues regularly and lasts for over twenty days.

The wines in the following spring have an excessive carbon dioxide content, in fact the cold winter and long fermentation contribute to the non-dissolution of the same.

The vintage is to be considered very good but not exceptional.

The final taste sensation surprises for the remarkable balance that the wines present.

1997

Winter 96/97 was freezing and cold. The last ten days of the year were colder than usual, with snowfalls. In February temperatures increased and weather became mild and dry. These weather conditions speeded up the phenological process but the lack of rain slowed down the vines’ vegetative growth. Also March was warm and buds came out earlier. In mid-April temperatures decreased considerably and earlier varieties, located on the flat area, were damaged.

Cold weather remained until the end of April, when heavy rainfalls brought mild temperatures and helped the vegetative growth and blooming. The bunches fecundation was good but buds were not complete because of the Spring cold.

Summer was not excessively hot and the vegetative growth was regular, with low risks of diseases. Summer rainfalls were well distributed and helped a good maturation of the fruit. The month of September had very low rainfall and high temperatures. The harvest was calmly planned and healthy grapes are harvested, balanced and with a right degree of ripening.

The grapes show a progressive increase in the sugar content with levels higher than the 1990 vintage. They also have a good acid balance indispensable to obtain products rich in fragrance and freshness.

1998

Winter 1998 was cold with some snowfalls. In February, the temperatures suddenly rises cause concern about an early vegetative vine growth. Freezing occurred in March with temperatures below 0°C, causing damages to early varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon. It’s only in the first decade of April that rainfalls helped the vegetative development.

Blooming and fecundation of the bunches were regular, occurring in warm and dry weather conditions. On June 23rd, hail fell on most of the Soave vineyards damaging the branch bearing the grapes. The damage is immediately estimated at around 50%. The town most affected is that of Soave. Summer continues very hot and drought, this weather situation helps to heal part of the damages favoring a good ripening of the left grapes.

Grapes were very ripe and with high sugar content.

The grapes had to be collected quickly, within October, because of the rain. The pressing phase is carried out more softly than usual in order to obtain a must rich in extracts.

From a qualitative point of view, the Soave Classico 1998 was excellent with a remarkable structure and an evident chromatic intensity. It can certainly be said that the quality of the product is higher than the average in recent years, although 30% lower.

1999

In winter 1999 temperatures were above standards. It never snowed and rainfalls were rare. Spring began early with mild temperatures, which helped the regular vegetative process even in the hail-damaged vines. The production is expected to be plentiful. Blooming occurred in almost summer-like temperatures, with the total fecundation of the bunches. July rainfalls brought a good fruit set, the bunches cutting (-30%) was essential to moderate an extreme production.

Summer was irregular, characterized by the lack of light and warmth because of the frequent heavy (but not dangerous) rainfalls.

Excessive humidity involves a greater commitment to parasitic struggle to prevent from diseases. This weather situation slows down the ripening of the grapes and only at the beginning of October the harvest can begin.. Harvest was difficult because of some differences in maturation of the grapes within the same vine. Pieropan picked the ripe grapes first, leaving the rest for a second harvest. In harvest time weather conditions were not optimal: foggy and rainy days pushed temperatures to 20° even in the night. The harvest finished on 4 November. Grapes must be healthy to give rich must for the vinification, that’s why a strict selection of the grapes was necessary in this difficult vintage.

Soave wines of 1999 were good quality wines and enjoyable, although less complex than those from vintage 1998.

2000

Winter of 1999 was considerably cold and snowy, temperatures were often below 0 C°. February was very humid and foggy, in March temperatures slightly increased and the first rainy periods were registered.

The lack of rain in winter made impossible to proceed with the organic fertilization. Vineyards didn’t suffer from cold stress and buds completed their post-annual ripening. April was sunny and characterized by mild temperatures, May presented high temperatures and high humidity over the average. These conditions led to a flourishing vegetation, with big leaves and plentiful branches.

In July, hailstorms were registered but Pieropan vineyards weren’t seriously afflicted. At the end of July temperatures decreased considerably and got scorched until the end of August.

In mid-July there is a sudden drop in temperature that slows down the maturation process. Summer takes place with continuous and strong temperature changes, reaching a torrid peak in mid-August. The grapes, however, maintain a good health degree until mid-September. The harvest starts around September 20th with sunny days and mild temperatures. The harvest of Garganega (for the grapes that has to dry for obtaining Passiti wines) takes place in good weather and in ideal conditions. In early October it begins to rain and increase humidity. From this moment the harvest takes place with very variable weather conditions. This situation reduces the promises of a great vintage, postponing the final completion of maturation.

We cannot judge the year 2000 as the vintage of the century, but a vintage of good quality.

2001

Vintage 2001 began with a rainy, foggy and humid autumn, though not a cold one.

Mild temperatures had set-in as early as February. All spring will be mild on average, with some cold returns in April. During the summer, temperatures were not elevated: frequent cool days and rare sunny ones brought to a delay in the ripening process.

On average the season is slightly abundant and thinning operations of the bunches are necessary to allow a more correct production load per plant. The grape harvest was delayed to the first ten days of October. Mature grapes were picked while the unripe bunches were left on the vines to prepare them for a later picking.

Initially, wines of 2001 vintage were not completely harmonious. However, after the ageing period these angularities were reduced, and wine had a good evolution.

Vintage 2001 wines are rich and complex enough, with a character.

The quality of this vintage is good.

2002

This vintage is characterized by a freezing winter and a drought spring. During the summer, dry and hot periods are alternated with rainy and cold ones. Weather conditions didn’t help with the grapes’ maturity; in fact, the number of bunches, as well as their weight, are considerably reduced.

September was rainy, cold and dangerously humid, preserving the vineyard’s health was a challenge. In fact, within the same crop, there was a notable variation in maturity. For this reason, unripe grapes were left on the vines while the mature ones were picked. Twenty days later, when the grapes left on the vines had matured, the harvest was completed. This gradual process enabled the vineyard to achieve a good ripening, in part because the vines had less weight to carry.

In 2002, preserving the grapes' health was not easy: defoliation was essential to expose bunches to better ventilation.

The quality of this vintage is medium.

2003

Vintage 2003 is known as the driest and the most scorched of the century.

High temperatures were recorded beginning in spring, and lasted all summer long. Temperatures never dropped drastically, reaching peaks of above 40 C° both day and night. Due to lack of rain over this roughly three-month period, weather conditions proved adverse. As a result, the vineyard suffered from water-stress, which blocked the photosynthesis process.

The outcome was an imbalance between phenolic and sugar maturities. Since the former remained underdeveloped, the latter went unchecked.

Therefore, Pieropan decided to embrace a countertrend strategy: delaying the grape harvest proved to be an innovative solution. Cool September nights helped

catalyze photosynthesis to end the grapes’ phenolic maturing process.

The conditions that produced Vintage 2003 were certainly difficult, but cultivar Garganega demonstrates considerable adaptability to its environment, even in adverse weather.

Wines derived from this grape are rich and fresh in flavor, thanks to the tartaric acid contained in the genetic schemes of Garganega.

The quality of this vintage is medium.

2004

Fall 2003/2004 begins after the hottest and driest summer of 20th century.

The vine suffers a condition of extreme water deficiency and stress.

Winter is, on average, rainy and snowy with low temperatures more than usual; this condition will remain a feature of this vintage with a few exceptions at the end of season.

Spring begins with mild temperatures and frequent and sometimes quite strong rains: this condition delays all the phenological steps and lengthens the fruit ripening time.

From the end of July begins a period characterized by constant succession of temperatures: weeks strongly warm and then weeks with low temperatures especially in the night.

October is, on the contrary, a return of summer with temperatures above the average.

This warm final part of the season strongly helps sugar and phenolic ripening of the fruit of the Garganega, a late variety. For this reason, Pieropan decides to pick up the grapes later than usually, the harvest ends at the end of October.

Overall, the increase of temperatures excursion and the dry and warm final season, promote the structure, complexity and richness, giving spicy and intriguing notes.

Nel complesso l'aumento delle escursioni termiche e un finale di stagione caldo e secco, favoriscono vini strutturati, ricchi, complessi con un naso speziato e intrigante.

Si è dimostrata un'annata di carattere e longeva.

2005

After a cold and dry winter, it follows a rainy and quite cold spring. May and July are characterized by changes in temperature, these conditions suddenly cause hailstones that, at the beginning of July, hit the vineyards in Soave. The first halfway of August stands out because of its low temperatures and anomalous rains for the season. After 20th of August, temperature raises, but the weather still remains unstable, alternating sunny and rainy days. A fresh and rainy season has excessively developed the vegetation, causing growth of minor shoots (femminelle). That’s why we have done many works of topping and defoliation and thinning has not been necessary because of the hailstone. Low temperature has been a positive feature of the vintage, the production results to be contained and the grapes maturation is gradually completed by maintaining an interesting nose characteristic , but a precarious consistence of the fruit, making it delicate and fragile. For this reason we thought appropriate to not proceed to pick up the grapes addressed for withering of Recioto di Soave. After having pick up Trebbiano di Soave grapes, at the middle of September, we have started to pick up the Garganega grapes for the Soave classic wine by doing a scale harvest according to the maturation. Vinification is done without maceration and the must obtained is clear with a good acidity and rich in mineral salt. The fermentation is done at 19-20°; it is great and regular thanks to a good must nitrogen giving and moreover such a slow and not turbulent fermentation permits and interesting development of floral perfumes and sweet fruits. The pause of the wine on its yeasts is long and after some pourings, wines are clean, already balanced in acid component.

2006

Winter 2006 is very cold and frigid, low temperatures last until Spring. Vegetative awakening is delayed. Flowering is damaged by cold weather, especially in the nights. June and July register warm temperatures and this helps the good development of the bunches. Luckily, the constant rainfalls occurring in the first weeks of August bring to a good veraison. Thanks to this weather condition, it’s possible to recover part of the previous vegetative loss. Spring is cold and not excessively rainy, and leads to a high quality vegetative development: the grapes per bunch are perfectly balanced, in fact thinning interventions and defoliation interventions are limited. The harvest begins in late September: grapes are perfectly healthy, ripe and golden. The pressing , the sedimentation and the fermentation are naturally conducted. The warm temperatures registered in July caused a shortage of floral aromas in the wines, but an increase in ripe fruit aromas. The wines of this vintage are sapid, balanced and rich bodied.

2007

A dry and relatively warm winter meant the vines didn’t have water reserves.

The season started 20 days earlier due to the warm winter temperature.

Spring was dry with very low humidity while June was wet and rainy and the rest of summer

was dry, windy and hot. These ideal conditions meant grapes reached ripeness early (end

of August).

At the end of August a hailstorm hit the vineyards in Soave and Valpolicella, Pieropan

decided to wait until Garganega had reached full ripeness before harvesting.

A very dry and warm September helped fruit to reach good levels of ripeness. The grapes

were picked late, when maximum ripeness was achieved towards the end of October.

2008

As winter 2008 began with sunny, dry and mild days, March was cold and rainy. In Soave, Garganega vineyards sprouted around the end of April because cold temperatures and rain blocked the growing process. Pieropan decided to cover from 20 April onwards. On the contrary, red-berry vineyards situated on the Monte Garzon sprouted at the beginning of April thanks to the spring sun warmth. April and May maintained mild temperatures during the day and cool temperatures during the night. These conditions let the iodine develop, for this reason preserving vineyards’ health was very important. For Garganega, Trebbiano and Corvina grapes situated in Villa Cipolla estate, 2008 vintage was plentiful. On the contrary, on Monte Garzon irregularities in germination were noticed because of a heavy hail in 2007. Rainy days were then registered in May, June and late July. Interventions to reduce blight in the vines were expensive but necessary, considering the steady rain alternated with warm and humid climate. Temperatures in the morning were cooler than usual (12-13 C°) thanks to a drastic temperature range. In July, temperatures were stable, hot and dry. By contrast, in September cold and rainy weather lasted since when an increase of temperature was felt. Grapes’ health was perfect: thick skin and the golden colour were good features in particular of La Rocca grapes. On average, an important recovery of the quality was noticed. The harvest for Amarone and Ruberpan shew good results as well, with balanced quantities of Corvina, Croatina grapes, which used to be problematic and inconstant. In November, late Corvina grapes were picked on Monte Garzon for Ghes wine. Even if this vintage registered critical weather conditions, the final results in terms of quality could be considered positive, thanks to the long-lasting dry autumn 2008.

2009

Vintage 2009 began with a rainy and relatively cold autumn. All over Italy, rain, floods and heavy snowfalls were registered. Rainy weather lasted until mid-September, and then periods of cold, dry and sunny weather lasted through the end of March. Thanks to the rainy autumn, this vintage began early, around 6-8 April, while buds grew quite constantly in the Valpolicella area as well. Pieropan started pinching out the suckers and removing the doubles. In April, warm and rainy periods alternated with cold spells, while in August, the lack of rain made the vineyards to suffer from a slight water-stress. This was resolved thanks to core irrigation interventions. At the end of August, a well-known illness struck Garganega grapes on the flat, cracking berries. This disease put all cultivators in the area on alert, since it limited the grape’s lifespan on the vine, and therefore, had the potential to compromise the quality of the vintage. This illness was due in part to the drastic change of temperature after flowering, but mainly to the high temperatures of August, which blocked the cuticle’s transpiration and caused the skin to break. Pieropan’s vineyards were not considerably affected, since they are situated on the hillside at elevation and enjoy a cooler microclimate than vineyards situated in the flatlands below. From October onwards, ripe grapes enjoyed good levels of sugar contents. The harvest was quickly completed, as 2009 was an early vintage. Wines derived from this vintage were quite mineral, sapid and elegant. The Valpolicella and Amarone, in particular, are rich in spicy notes. The quality of this vintage is good, thanks in part to its ageing potential.

2010

In the first six months of the year, weather was cold and rainy, replenishing this way the groundwater. The mild and temperate spring helped the vegetative growth of the vine with no lack of microelements. Blooming and veraison occurred in mild weather conditions.

Since July temperatures changed considerably and looking for a healthy maturation of the grapes was difficult. However, since half October, Garganega grapes reached a good level of maturation thanks to its sparse bunch, its thick skin and late ripening.

In case of difficult vintages, growing our own vineyards is fundamental, because it may happen to make counter trend and risky decisions to guarantee the high quality of the grapes.

The real task of a Vignaiolo is to give unique results even in adverse vintages, which is possible thanks to a great passion, work, devotion and the respect of the territory. The wines of 2010 were better than expected.

2011

Vintage began with a pretty strong rainy and snowy fall and winter, replenishing the ground water. Spring began in advance and, at the beginning of April, temperatures reached 30 - 31°C. This condition speeded up the maturation of the grapes and then, since mid September, dehydrated the berries increasing the sugar concentration. Summer was warm but with regular rainfalls until August. Temperatures rose over 30°C from the beginning of August until the middle of October.

The harvest started earlier than usual: the grapes for the Recioto and the Amarone were picked in September, followed by the Trebbiano and Garganega.

Harvest finished on 18 October - earlier than usual - thanks to good weather conditions. The grapes were perfectly ripe and healthy.

The production registered a decrease of about 20% due to a manual thinning done in spring and to a strong dehydration of the grapes. The soft pressing helped the wines to maintain full body, good acidity, balance, and white fruits and tropical fruits features. Wines from 2011 vintage were enjoyable and elegant; wide and soft in the palate, typical features of the Pieropan style. The minerality was preserved by the old vineyards potential and by Pieropan’s wine-making skills.

2012

The 2012 vintage was difficult because of the extreme weather conditions, Winter 2012 was the driest of the last 50 years. The first rainfalls were registered in Spring, and enabled a good leaves growing. Bad weather conditions during blossoming reduced the amount of flowers and, consequently, the amount of berries. Since July, dry and hot temperatures reduced the weight of the bunches, and so the production. Both factors reduced the production by 50%. Standard temperatures and rainy weather characterized September. Luckily, Pieropan had decided to pick the grapes for Recioto and Amarone before the rainfalls. This proved to be a right choice, because preserving the health of the grapes’ skin was fundamental for the drying process.

Weather trend in October got better, mainly for the picking of white berries, for Soave wine, and for the red berries, for the Valpolicella. Thanks to good vocation and to dedicated work in the vineyard, Pieropan picked healthy and ripe grapes. Working in the vineyards in 2012 was really hard, mainly because of the bad weather conditions. In the last 30 years such a drastic drop of the production has never been registered.

Vintage 2012 recalls vintage 2008. The wines derived from the vintage 2008 had good characters and were enjoyable, despite bad weather conditions. Thanks to the usage of a pneumatic press, operating with saturation system under nitrogen, Pieropan could maintain the grapes’ freshness and aromas. Thanks to the attentive work in the vineyards and to new technology, the wines derived from this vintage are enjoyable, sapid and elegant.

2013

Autumn 2012 was considerably rainy, hit by frequent rainfalls which obstructed the work in the fields. Winter was enduring, cold and snowy, that was good for water sources.

March and April were still cold and rainy, this brought unease and delay in the vine sprout.

Also May and June were cold and rainy, so preserving vine's health was difficult.

The production was in part compromised by late blight (plasmopora viticola) caused by the frequent rainfalls. A significant imbalance for the production was registered between young vines and old vines, but also between vine and vine. The result was an irregular production, which influenced also the maturation of the grapes.

Since mid June, real summer started. Temperatures reached 35 C° and it rarely rained. Only at the end of August, temperature range fostered the coloring of the berries, with 15 days of maturing delay than the norm. Musts had high acidity levels and low PH levels.

September registered good weather conditions and the the selection of Amarone grapes started, with positive results in ripening and health. Amarone Vigna Garzon 2013 has already strong character and personality, thanks its great natural acidity.

We consider the vintage 2013 a classic vintage, with a perfect balance between alchol and a very clean nose, fragrance and very rich fruity bouquet, which help to match the wine with food.

We think Amarone 2013 can be a wine with long potential ageing.

2014

VINTAGE 2014

Vintage 2014 started with a mild and rainy autumn and winter. Temperatures never reached -0°C and since January weather was mild and dry, warmer than standards. Spring was windy, mild and some hailstones were registered. Summer seemed to never come. June and July were characterized by cold weather and heavy rainfalls: the rainy days were 26/31. This critical weather condition made Pieropan working very hard on the vine to preserve the grapes from diseases. Temperatures got better in the end of August but never reached summer standards.

In September, harvest was done under good weather conditions.

Earlier varieties, such as Trebbiano, were compromised by the weather. However, after a strict selection, Pieropan could dry some part of thegrapes for the Amarone, bur not for the Recioto. Pieropan adapted its vinification interventions considering the unusual vintage's consequences on musts. Wines were enjoyable and aromati, with a good acidity.

VINTAGE 2014 – red wines

In September, harvest was done under good weather conditions. The 2014 vintage has been a really challenging vintage. Be an estate that grows own grapes, makes the difference.

Ruberpan 2014 is a result of a several selection of grapes. The result is a wine genuine, clean, elegant with the tipical spicy notes and peppery nose of a Valpolicella. The color is a bit lighter than usual, but is an honest result of a vintage where we had got the least hours of light of the last 50 years. A similar vintage has been the 1965.

With Ruberpan 2014 we have choosen to do some malolactic fermentation to reduce the level of malic acid of the wine.

2015

VINTAGE 2015

The 2014 season has closed with heavy rain which helped to fix the necessary water in the ground for the grown season’s coming.

The winter has been mild and this has a negative effect because it helps to have more develop of fungus and insects, enemies of the wine-

The warm and dry spring with temperature higher than usual it helped to have as homogeneous grown of the shoots and a perfect blossom flower. At the end of may an a heavy hail has hit the Valpolicella’s vineyard and it has reduced the crop of 80%.

The hail has not reduced the quality of the grape because it attached the grape when it was still flower. It this way the effect has been only an a limitation of quantity and not quality. Since middle of June the temperature become high and the weather hot and dry as 2003 vintage. The irrigation became necessary on the vineyards of the hillside to guarantee the final maturation of the fruit. The favorable weather condition helps to maintain the plant healty with limited numbers of spray treatments.

At the end of July the bunches start to change the color, the skin of the grape shows thick and strong.

In mid-September with a good temperature between day and night helps to complete well the grown of the grapes.

At the middle of September harvest starts with Amarone grapes and immediately after recioto’s grapes. The grapes are carefully selected and they show well, health with a string skin,

The harvest period continues with a great weather and Trebbiano and Garganega grapes are picked ripe but also with a good acidity level. The 2015 vintage will be remember as one of the greatest year in particular for red wine. The healthiness, the ripening of the fruit will guarantee also a long ageing potential of the wines from this vintage.

2016

As it happened the years before also this autumn and a part of the winter is mild and dry. On march the soil is dry and this dryness get late the beginning of the season . May and june become very wet with heavy rains and big gap of temperature between day and night .This phenomenon becomes extremily strong in Valpolicella as any high hills and cooler soils. Since middle of june summer starts with his tipical temperatures and rains become more rare. It remains 10-15 days of late and grapes starts to change color only around middle of august thank the good gap of temperature between day and night. The hot and humidity come back an a early part of September and some vineyards high in altitude need some irrigation to complete the ripeness of the fruit.

Harvest starts late, middle of September with Amarone, Recioto selection and Trebbiano di soave; and in October with Garganega grape. Against any general opinion season shows immediately generous with bunches rich of juice. The young wine taste sapid, with a good acidity and a lovely aromatic bouquet. The harvest finish on 28th of October with a good climate condition. This vintage gives wine balanced, elegance and we see a really good potential longevity too. We have considered 2015 a vintage more for red wine with 2016 we think is definetly more for great white wines !!

2017

The 2016 ends with a mild and dry autumn. In March the land are dry and this drought worries. After a warm spring start, at the end of April we have a sudden return of cold and frost that seriously damages the first buds. In Soave, the most affected area is the flat one (Soave doc), while the classic area, which is located on the hills, is not significantly struck. Damages throughout northern Italy are devastating. In May summer comes and the rise in temperatures, followed by the dryness, make the budding very difficult. From June, the first irrigations are necessary to allow the vine some phenological phases, such as the fruit set. Summer is hot, temperatures are high and it rains very little until late August. Irrigation has the only benefit of keeping the plant alive, as water evaporates in a short time. In September, short rains come, accompanied by hail-giant events that fortunately exclude our area. Despite these first rains, the season is one of the driest in the last 50 years and warmer than 2015 and 2003. The harvest of the Trebbiano begins at the end of August, the grapes ripens two weeks in advance than usually. In many areas already in mid-September the harvest of the Garganega grape begins. We begin the harvest in late September and we immediately realize that the dry season has significantly reduced, about the 25-30%, the weight and yield in must. The grapes have reached a fair degree of ripeness, but the too hot has blocked the final phase, therefore we decide to delay the grapes harvest. Maturation with time improves the grapes. The musts have equilibrium problems, therefore more attention is paid to the fermentation process. Despite the high heat, the tartaric component of the Garganega grape preserves a bit of freshness and manages to express a good note of salinity and flavor.

2017 was a difficult year that required a lot of efforts both in the vineyard and in the cellar. The first tastings, however, are encouraging and we expect that this year the wines will be harmonious, balanced and pleasant.

2018

After a few mild autumns and winters, 2018 is rainy and snowy.

Spring is characterized by continuous rains. More work in the vineyards is necessary to balance the plant's health and the vegetative vigor.

Summer is cool until the end of July, then from July onwards the temperatures rise significantly and remain high until the end of August. At the beginning of September heavy rains arrive.

High humidity slightly affects the health of the fruit. Many producers of our area begin the harvest in advance than usual, worried about the fruits health and for the production generosity.

Our harvest begins instead at the end of September to await the complete ripening of the fruit and ends in October. The year 2018 was problematic due to the continuous change of the weather that involved more work in the vineyard and particular attention in the cellar.

From the first tastings we are pleasantly surprised by the harmony and the balance of the wines.

2019

Vintage 2018 ends mild and dry, in February we already record higher temperatures than the seasonal average. As often happens, at the end of April, there is a sudden drop in temperatures and in the night of the 5th May a heavy hail hits some Soave Classico areas. The damages are huge because the buds, just came out, are seriously damaged.

May and part of June are extremely rainy and cold, the temperature are so low that the buds growth is blocked. As a result, the vegetative season starts late, only from mid- June.

After the flowering, the sharp drop in production is evident: bunches are few and the size is smaller.

All summer is characterized by sudden changes of temperature and humidity that determinate a difficult maturation of the fruit.

The harvest starts on the first days of October, the production is poor. The decision is to not produce the wine Recioto di Soave while the wine Amarone della Valpolicella is produced in lower quantities.

The unstable climate conditions that characterized the year 2019, generated significant problems in the vineyard, both of physiological and pathogenic nature.

The mild and short winter, without frosts, which are very important for keeping the soils soft and fertile, doesn’t cause the cleaning action made by bugs pathogenic for the vine, necessary for the plant health.

Despite these considerations, the first tastings of vintage 2019 present a good balance and delicate salinity.

2020

Autumn is rainy and humid until mid-December while winter is quite harsh and dry. With the arrival of spring, Covid also arrives and on March 10, Italy goes into lockdown.

Ironically, spring presents itself as best it could not: bright days due to the absence of pollution from air and road traffic, even the temperatures are typical of the period and until June/July they are never too high and with low humidity, it's been a long time since we've seen a spring like this.

These conditions allow easy management of the vineyard, regular vegetative development, excellent fruit set and no irrigation is required. In August, both temperatures and humidity rise and as a result some hail events occur which strongly affect some wine-growing areas and the city of Verona. Fortunately the Pieropan company was not affected by it, but these weather conditions contribute to delaying the ripening of the fruit, especially in Valpolicella. The course of the 2020 vintage brought the ripening period back to the typical calendar and it is also for this reason that the harvest begins with the Trebbiano di Soave in mid-September, at the end of September for the grapes destined for appassimento (the grapes of Amarone and Recioto and in October for Soave Classico and Valpolicella).

The vintage immediately gives us excellent indications, Trebbiano di Soave is in fact harvested perfectly healthy with a degree of ripeness beyond the average while the Garganega grape, whose harvest begins in October, it is ripe with an excellent must yield. The vintage is good and generous, the green thinning done in spring is essential to contain a production that would have been higher than our production standard. The vintage certainly rewarded elegance and finesse for both La Rocca and Calvarino wines. The quality of this vintage is one of the few things they remember with pleasure about 2020.

2021

Autumn is mild and dry. Starting in December, copious snowfalls begin in the mountains, bringing record quantities of snow to almost all of the Alps.

In our areas, on the other hand, abundant rains arrive which enrich the subsoil water reserves. In January, winter is harsh with temperatures below zero. At the end of March, for a few days of pleasant temperatures, the vegetation begins to move. A sudden return of cold, with temperatures below zero, causes frosts causing damage in the plains.

Our company is not affected, because the vineyards are in the hills and the Garganega variety is late. Spring continues with below average temperatures, causing slow and stunted budding. Summer arrives in June with high temperatures, the vines go into water stress; emergency irrigation is necessary in some vineyards. The flowering of the fruit is affected by the variability of the climate, the bunches are smaller than the average and with a lower number of berries. Too high temperatures and the total absence of rain affect fruit setting. July is variable with rain and hail. The milder temperature allows the plant to complete budding. Summer weather becomes more stable. The end of the season is dry and windy, this climatic condition guarantees the grapes optimal ripening.

The harvest begins in mid-September with the Trebbiano di Soave and then the selection of the grapes for the Recioto di Soave and for the Amarone takes place. At the end of September the harvest of the Garganega grape and the Valpolicella grapes begins. From October the nights are cold, the temperature range is important and the ripening and quality of the fruit improve. The grapes from the most suitable vineyards are harvested later. The 2021 vintage is of excellent quality, with a 25% less harvest than in 2020. The fundamental characteristic of this 2021 was the regularity of the climatic trend and an excellent balance of yield and grape quality. 2021 has all the requisites to become an excellent vintage.

2022

The 2022 vintage was characterized by a winter without significant rainfall, both snowy and rainy, and mild temperatures that led to an early but always dry spring. The temperatures of the first spring months were above average and this situation of scarcity, almost no rainfall and high temperatures lasted until the month of August.

In the summer months we then witnessed prolonged waves of extreme heat which exacerbated the evo-transpiration rates of the plant. This has led to a situation of water stress, mainly in hilly areas, where both the scarcity of substrate and the drainage capacity of the soil have made irrigation vital. The budding was slow due to the shortage of water in the spring, partial in some cases. The setting was poor, with sparse bunches, which accentuates a lack of product and weight.

This is more marked in early varieties such as Trebbiano, which was affected by the vintage. The Garganega, thanks to the rains of August and September, only partially recovered as the rains were not such as to make up for the water deficit. The plants finish the final stages of grape ripening in water suffering In our Valpolicella, on the other hand, the situation is a bit different, undoubtedly due to a more favorable climatic condition. The grapes are ripe, with low yields but in any case the position of the vineyard and its altitude have meant that the product is optimal from the point of view of the ripening parameters.

We report an optimal state from a phytosanitary point of view of the grapes. As far as the finished product is concerned, it is still premature to say anything, it will certainly be slightly scarcer in terms of quantity.